For Both Of Us
by Borath
Summary: Complete Bakura muses about why he's been hearing screams across the Shadow Realm, and how they're Yami's. Oh, and Yami's becoming evil again. Chapter 6 missing lemon
1. Chapter 1

Right, I began kicking this one around a few months ago and thought: 'Neh, character option desperately needed.  Sod it I'll post', so I cleaned this up and now present it for your approval.  Weird little thing inspired by the lyrics for MeatLoaf's 'I'm Gonna Love Her For Both of Us', the lyrics to which I'll send to whoever asks for them (not actually expecting many e-mails on that front) if they desire clarification. 

(Bakura's POV )

For Both of Us 

I can't sleep anymore, can barely think.  He cries out almost constantly now, the sound of it ripping through the Shadow Realm in a torrent of anguish and frustration.  And it tears at me.  He's crying out like a siren, crying out to be saved and he probably doesn't even know he's doing it.  That would make sense: It's his soul screaming, not his mind.  Besides, he'd never admit to what I can feel from him, never admit that it is killing him.

He's restrained from everything that he could be and everything that he wants on a deep level.  He's a creature of the dark like me, but the passions, thoughts and urges that accompany that title are being restrained, both by his obligation to protect his light half and by his Hikari himself.  I doubt that the Hikari would ever let slip that chain.

And as such a significant part of him has been suppressed, for some years now in fact, he is beginning to feel contained too.  Caged like some exotic animal, which in some respects is what he is.  What we both are.  However, I broke free from my cage long ago, living alone now in disdain for those around me, offering malice in return to anyone who tries to force me back into it.  

Now he wants to be saved too, and I'm the only one who can do it.  I'm the only one who can make him realize that it's *him* who's screaming through the Shadow Realm and snap that damn chain.

I need to talk to Yugi.

Their relationship was never any of my concern.  I didn't have any interest in how they were together, if they were happy and all that crap that I really couldn't give a damn about.  There was an inkling of jealousy at first; your first lover is always hard to forget, but that was quickly engulfed by a somewhat forced disinterest.  

But I do still care, no matter what happens.  That's why I must stop this, not to mention the fact that the sounds are getting harder to ignore, making it harder to sleep and sometimes to even *think*.

I can't let this continue.  I'll help him, not only because I have to, but also because I want to.  I'd hate to see him destroyed so inadvertently.

Especially by one that he loved and loved him in return.

Tomorrow.  Tomorrow I'll set it right.  I'll talk to Yugi and show them that I can be human.  I definitely won't sleep tonight.  I can feel that he's getting worse, the sounds steadily getting louder and a bitter, vicious scratching now joining the assemblage that voices his anxiety and tensions.   And now that I have a delicate speech to plan as well, I'll be lucky to get to the Game Shop without a blinding headache.

****

I plan to add another chapter to this when;

A: I have time.   So at the end of May when my exams are out of the way I'll probably start writing.

B: I get an idea of how this conversation is going to work.

C: I get enough encouragement from reviewers, possibly enough to disregard point A at the cost of revision and to ram point B through a quick yet effective development process.

Still, no updates for a long time anywhere, so bear with me and leave a comment of what you think in the meantime.  My WIP fanfics are going to stew for the moment…


	2. Chapter 2

I had planned on finishing this one in just two chapters, but I fancied some opinions as to how this weird little thing is going.  It's making it's own plot up; I didn't plan it to go this way.  Oh well.  Hope you enjoy the next instalment.

****

Well I was right about one thing; my head is absolutely killing me. I don't think I got more than half an hour's sleep, and that's only because bloody Ryou dropped a book on his foot.  I shouted at him a bit more than I normally would have, but sleep deprivation and general nerves about this upcoming confrontation have got me on edge.

It's a sadistically nice day for it; birds twittering gaily and the sun sending a cold light down on me as I make my way to the Game Shop.  Ryou didn't say anything when I left, but I suspect he's been hearing it too, albeit more dimly than I do.  He's not as strongly tied to the Shadow Realm as I am.  I think I have the right to be jealous of him for that.

I don't notice that I've reached my destination until I'm stood in its shadow.  Chewing my bottom lip for a moment, I take a final few moments to decide if this is really the right thing to do.  Stupid question there.  Removing my hands from my pockets, I stride inside purposefully.

Yugi's just finishing with a customer as I approach him, smoothly navigating the small assortment of shelves and racks before I'm stood on the opposite side of the glass counter.  I make the pretence of looking at the rarer cards inside the display as he watches me carefully.  I'm actually tapping through the Ring to see if Yami's in the Puzzle.  He's not, which is exactly what I wanted.  In fact I don't sense him anywhere near here.  I don't want him hearing this and charging to the rescue when he feels Yugi getting upset or angry.  

"Bakura?  Do you want something?" the Hikari asks after a few more seconds of staring through my bangs.  I actually take the time to look at him now.  He looks happier than usual, even if he's a bit uneasy with my presence: very much in love.  Well that's just tough.  I'm here for Yami's benefit, not for Yugi's.

"We need to talk.  Close the shop," I instruct as I step away from him and walk towards the door leading through into the house. Yugi opens his mouth to protest before doing as I said and scurrying in after me.  

It's cosy back here.  I'm in the living room now, a rumpled blanket tossed over the back of the sofa and a bowl of half-eaten popcorn nestled against one of the arm cushions.  A film was on last night I see, likely an opportunity for them to cosy up against each other.  I bet they both enjoyed that even if the screams did get worse at the time.

"Bakura, what are you doing here?  Is something wrong?"

It's the perfect opportunity to say exactly what's been going on right now, but for some reason I find myself hesitating.  I'm starting to wonder if this is a good idea, if it even needs doing at all in fact.  Maybe Yami is happy and it's just a shadow of his former-self making all the noise.  If that's the case, then the one I should be talking to is Yami.

"Is everything alright between you and Yami?" I find myself saying.  A muscle next to my left eye twitches the moment the words have left me and I curse myself internally.  I've never been bothered with their relationship so this approach is somewhat abrupt.  It needed to be asked though, even if my reputation is now a little less stable.

Yugi looks, understandable, confused for a moment before he nods.  He helpfully expands upon that verbally.  "Fine.  We're both happy.  Why?  Has something happened?  Do you know something?"

That Motou spirit flares up then, the same one that went against Pegasus, Malik and me more than once.  That spirit isn't going to be the least bit helpful right now.  I don't need any accusations to come flying at me, especially not whilst I'm still trying to figure out what exactly to do.  

I can't exactly tell the truth.  That would completely destabilise their relationship, raising doubts and concerns and likely making Yami as miserable externally as he seems to be internally.  But it is their business in the end.  So who am I to drop a veritable sledgehammer onto them?  But that screaming has to be stopped.  I don't think I can take hearing it anymore.

"I need to talk to Yami.  Where is he?"

Yugi frowns.  Now he knows I'm definitely up to something.  "He's not here.  Wh-"

"That's our business," I cut in sharply, leaning into him and narrowing my eyes slightly.  It has the desired effect and he shuts up, watching with concern as I walk out of his home and back through the shop.  I'm not going to get anywhere here.  I should have gone to the source in the first place.  I shouldn't have wasted my time going after the Hikari and just headed straight for the darkness.

Once outside, I look down at the Ring, silently telling it to point me towards him.  Two prongs drift up steadily, pointing me towards the park.  I waste no time in getting there; breaking into swift jog with the Ring rattling at my chest before the prongs can drop.  I don't use it again until I'm stood at the gates, not being able to run in a straight line to follow the given direction making me lose my heading.

After checking, I follow the prongs along a winding path beside the small lake until I find what I'm looking for, half sat and half led on one of the benches.  He's watching the water, or maybe he's just listening to something. I don't know.

He doesn't look up as I approach him, merely shifting his legs off of the wood to give me room to sit down next to him.  I take the invitation and face him, idly noting that he hasn't looked at me yet.

"You were looking for me?" he asks, dragging his eyes from whatever he can see to meet mine in the middle of that sentence.  His expression is as composed as it always is, belaying absolutely no emotion.  His eyes are darker than I've seen them in some time though.  It is a problem with his soul then.

I don't know if Yugi told him or if he can just sense the residual energy floating around the Ring, which is quite possible at this proximity, and I don't really care.  Instead I simply nod and compose my thoughts to begin.

****

Just one more chapter to go; Leave a review and it just might appear quicker.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.  This is me revising by the way.

****

"There have been, noises, in the Shadow Realm recently; screaming mostly.  I wanted to know if you knew anything about them," I say without pretence.  I want to get straight to the heart of this matter and pussyfooting around reality isn't going to be helping that.  

A flicker of surprise through Yami's eyes and his brow quirks a little.  "I've heard it, but I don't know what's doing it or why.  Do you?" he asks looking curious now.  

I'm not entirely surprised that he hasn't identified it and I merely nod slightly not taking my eyes off of him.  Perhaps if I stare at him long enough the wheels will start turning and realization will dawn.  After a few moments he frowns at me outright, silently inquiring what he had on his face.  Perhaps not then.

Concentrating, I open a small rift in this reality to the Shadow Realm: not large enough to be visible or dangerous, but enough for sound to leak through.  It's only a whimpering now; a pathetic little noise that I want to slap Yami for in disgust for allowing even a small part of him to make it.  At least the screams carried some strength in their torment.

"You really don't know what that is?" I prompt, opening my face up a little to appear less threatening.  He might just be doing an exceptionally good job of deceiving me and knows full bloody well that it's him and is just too embarrassed to admit it.  

He sighs in exasperation.  He's clueless then.  "No, Tomb Robber, I don't.  Now will you either tell me what you obviously think I need to know or go away and leave me in peace," he bites out.  Strangely, despite the strength in those words the whimpering increases, sounding impossibly more pitiful.

It wants to be acknowledged.  Whatever part of him that is crying for attention wants the rest of him to bloody well notice and put an end to this torment.  And I think that he's sensing an inkling of it on some level, hence him being out here and staring into nothing.

Can't be having that now, can I?  I'd gain very little pleasure from tormenting that which is not at its best.  I relish a challenge, and although Yami's resistance to me had been irksome at times, I love returning to our feud.  And if he's going to go off and get lost in his mind as a result of this…  No: I'll do the deed and wake him up to the part of himself that he seems to have misplaced.

Without any kind of warning, I bring up my hand and snap it across his face.  The whimpering stops instantly, replaced by a delighted sort of sound that seems to be a cross between a purr and a mewl.  Yami's head snaps to the side with the impact and I catch the fist he instinctively throws back at me in my own.  He blinks at me looking genuinely surprised, which I can excuse him for.  Usually we trade at least a few insults before resorting to the physical or outright magical blows.

"What in the Seven Hells are you doing? What was that for?" he demands indignantly, retracting his fist from my palm.  My hand hovers in the air for a moment in case he decides to throw it again.  I return it to my lap when he crosses his arms stiffly instead.

"You enjoyed that," I state leaving no room for debate.  It's true though: when I hit him I heard a sound of pleasure.  Admittedly, it's something of a horizontal move in switching from depressed to masochistic, but it's a start. 

"Excuse me?" he asks with a quirked brow, taken off guard by that proclamation.  I grant him the mercy of answering immediately, not bothering with long pauses during which he could suffocate in his own perplexity. 

Opening the rift marginally wider, I wait until I see him register the increase in volume of the sounds before leaning in close to him.  "You're doing that."

He stares back at me for a few moments, either seeking a sign of deception or an impending punch-line.  He quickly realises that I'm being completely serious and, for once, entirely honest.

"That's me?" he barely speaks in shock, features furrowed as he tries to understand it.  But there's some realisation in his eyes.  He's discovered the elusive reason as to why he's been feeling miserable recently.

"Part of you, yes.  I think it wants recognition."  I stop myself before I can go into his relationship with his Hikari.  He's having to absorb rather a lot at the moment already; he doesn't need that on top of it for the moment.  Perhaps in a few minutes.

"What do you mean, 'part of' me?" Yami pounces, leaning towards me a bit.  He clearly wants every bit of information about these sounds that he's been making out of me.  I'd gladly tell him too, but I haven't thought about the 'how' so much as the 'why'.  I can try to muddle through an explanation of what I initially thought had happened though.

"When you were locked in the Puzzle I don't think that you were imprisoned intact.  I think your spirit was shattered from the energies and magic required to cage you, and that you pulled yourself together whilst you were in there and when you were released by Yugi.  But you weren't entirely, 'in touch' with everything.  The Pharaoh five thousand years ago was a bastard to put it mildly.  I remember even if you don't, and I think that something from then isn't happy with this nicey-nice relationship of yours with your Hikari."

"What does Yugi have to do with any of this?" Yami shouts angrily.  He's frustrated now.  I know something important about him that he doesn't and that definitely rubs him the wrong.  I can't say that I'd be any different if our positions were reversed.

"He's light, and you in your true nature are dark.  You were a sadistic creature in Egypt and then you were locked in blackness for years on the brink of insanity.  I was too, so I know that it does things to your mind.  Perception of time wasn't one of the things that we didn't have from the start of being in the Items.  You've been affected by your Light reincarnation and it's changed most of you, but that one distant little bit that is still what you were and are at your very core hasn't been tainted.  And it's pissed.  You're hurting a part of yourself, so I'd make a bloody decision if I were you."

I'm trying my best to explain this to him as plainly as I can but I'm having a lot of trouble.  At the moment all I can really do is try to answer his questions.  From the look on his face he has a lot of them.

"Like what?  How do I make it stop?"  It's been driving him insane too I see.  Glad to see that I wasn't the only on suffering.  Well, Ryou was too but he's not exactly significant in my mind.

"Decide if this is what you really want.  Love and all that bollocks isn't all sweetness and roses; it's bitter sometimes, so even if every part of you was content with this thing you and your Hikari have, it still wouldn't be easy.  So you can ignore your true nature and let the screaming carry on, or you can indulge it."  I finish those words with a smirk that I couldn't help.  

He continues to stare at me, so I take the opportunity to expand upon the latter part of my little speech.  He's clearly very unsure.  

"You're aware of it now, so why not listen to it?  You can keep up your sappy little relationship thing but still-" I raise a fist with the pretence of hitting him and he lashes out at me instantly.  I ignore the comparatively mild blow and nod slightly, indicating the silence from the rift.  "- Indulge your true nature."  I grin as I let it sink in, his eyes remaining on mine steadfastly as he thinks.  "You're a yami.  You're dark and corrupted.  The dark needs the light, but it shouldn't be completely illuminated by it.  That would completely destroy you."

"You want me to be like you," he mutters, nodding slightly as his eyes narrow.

I contradict that immediately.  "I want you to be true to yourself."

"Why do you care anyway?" he asked.  I'd been waiting for that one.

Rolling my eyes dramatically, I rise to my feet and point at him sharply.  "Because I'm going to have to start drugging myself to get any sleep if that damn noise continues.  Ryou's started to whine about it too so it won't be long before Yugi gets wind of it, and I already have enough of a headache."

His eyes widen a little and the scowl falls.  He misinterpreted that into caring.  Either that or he thinks that there's an underlying reason to my actions.  Still, I've made him think.

"Mull it over and make a decision before I suffocate you in your sleep," I growl as my parting words, turning on my heel and striding away from him.  He remains on the bench; I can feel his eyes on my back as I walk away, keeping a steady pace and my eyes forward.  

Closing the rift as an afterthought, I groan internally as realisation dawns: I've just become uncomfortably involved in something fairly intimate.  Sourly resigning myself to it, I make my way home to see if I can get any sleep.

****

Okay!  I said last chapter and it isn't!  So sue me!  And now I'm stuck.  Suggestions?  Comments?  


	4. Chapter 4

This is proof that I'm not abandoning this fiction as well as the result of a big creative burst.  Exams do that to me.  I have 6 hours of it today, and this isn't including the standing around, getting called in, handing out and collecting in the papers.  No, 6 hours of writing essays, meaning that it wasn't a case of 'answer the questions and then sit around twiddling your thumbs'.  My wrist is killing me and I have 2 and a half hours of it again tomorrow.  Watch my mind rebel.

This is for Shadowspirit who prompted me very helpfully in a review for 'Birthday Suit'.  Thanks for the push.  Reviews will help Chapter 5 by the way.  This is definitely my strangest fic to date in that it's run off and done it's own thing.  This plot is completely different to the one that I'd originally imagined but I think that's made it more interesting, especially this chapter; I've never written Bakura like this before.  Oppression by examining bodies and listening to every MeatLoaf album I own continuously in order of release will do that to you I suppose.

Hope you enjoy this.

***

Despite talking to Yami and getting this little situation of his in the light, I actually slept worse last night than before.  It wasn't the screams again; it was suspiciously quiet actually, but it may have been that just getting him aware of them was enough to make them go quiet.  No, I couldn't sleep until general boredom took over because I just couldn't stop thinking.  To make it even more unusual, the subject of my musing was none other than the Pharaoh himself.

Recently he's been something of an obsession because I just couldn't figure out how to shut the screeching up, so I naturally thought about him, what he's like, his current situation, seeking for the crack that was making this noisy part less than happy.  I picked apart his character, inside and out, and I didn't really give it a second thought when I'd done what I'd planned to and told him.  It was only in the dark when it was quiet that I began to realize that after I'd picked him apart, I quite liked what I saw.

I'll admit to lusting after him in the past.  Who wouldn't?  His clothes are a second skin and he has such an intensity about him that it's almost suffocating.  Adding to that the fact that you'd have to be blind or senile not to see how attractive he is physically…  I don't know when this little seed got planted, but it's sprouted now and I'm not sure what I think of it.  There's not a lot I can do about it except to see where it goes, not that that's going to be very far because he loathes me.  That… bothers me more than it used to.    

Exercise of any description helps to clear up my head and organize my thoughts into something coherent.  Today I've chosen walking, something that I can do relatively mindlessly and not get into any trouble.  That's unless I wander near one of those secret compounds again.  That was a strange experience…

I'm in what's been publicly labelled the bad part of Domino.  Not that I give a flying fuck; I'm the one who helped that title along.  If I'd been in charge of assigning titles it would be called something far more appropriate too, something creative with a bit of a catchy spin on it.  'Screwed Ville', '.44 Land', 'SunnyHell'…  By the sounds of that last one I apparently watch too much television.

Leaving somewhere around noon after getting fed up with staring at the ceiling, I've been tottering around Domino for around five hours now.  I'm getting bored again now so I've started to figure out the most elaborate route back to the house, something involving walls, fences and maybe a small river if I can stretch it that far.  South seems to be the going idea now, so I set off down what I've affectionately dubbed Graffiti Lane, a long winding path/land-tip between several of the older warehouses that squatters now inhabit.  It's long, moderately interesting and dark.  Just the way I like it.

I knew that something was up the second I entered this particular alley, the one that opens up after the third turning.  Just a sense, a little niggle at my survival instincts that told me to be on my guard.  It could have been more specific; it sure as Hell would have helped if I'd partly expected the lead pipe going to the back of my neck.

I haven't been mugged in just under a year now, well, I say 'mugged' but what I mean is no-one's tried to jump me and had their brains pasted because of it.  Well goodie.  I could use a bit of a workout.  Spinning on my heel and ignoring the fact that my head is buzzing a little from the initial blow, I smirk cockily at the poor bastard with a death wish.  Okay, several poor bastards with death wishes.  And pipes.  Oh, and that one has a gun.  Well, that won't technically kill me but it'll damn well hurt, and if he aims right I'll be out for a while.  Great.  It took me ages to find Ryou's wallet last time; he's taken to hiding it and then blocking off his knowledge of the location from me.  That's fairly impressive so I didn't give him too much grief about it.  Normal amount actually.

Anyway, back to the thugs with pipes.  

I could probably get a few of them down before I really got hurt.  Heck, if my head wasn't doing weird things I'd use the Ring to send them so far into the Shadow Realm that the Reaper of Cards wouldn't be able to find them.  I guess my Item could only put off that blow so much.  Oh well.  Bit of grunt-work was always fun.

I think they see the challenge in my eyes because the three at the front all come at me at the same time without even looking at each other.  Cowards.  Won't face a teenager on their own.  I suppose stories could've gotten around; I always cause something of a spectacle and word runs fast in the underground.   

The pipes are gone fairly quickly with a few well-placed kicks and punches, and the one with the gun doesn't appear to have the balls to actually use it.  Should've given it to one of his pals here; they don't seem to have much of a problem with going for my throat.  I didn't sleep enough last night and I'm outnumbered, even for me, so I'm tiring pretty quickly.  I'm shamed to admit it but I'm severely tempted to run, not that I'd dare. It's far easier to shoot someone in the back than in their face and I think he's got enough balls for that.

They've just gotten in close enough to me that I'm starting to taste my own blood when there's a shout from the back of the mess that's in front of me.  I hear the gun go off in no particular direction, including mine, and then a few strangled screams before it gets a bit quieter.  Whatever's happened has got the attention of the three - no, four guys on me.  Looking behind them yet still obstructing my vision, they obviously don't like what they see because they make a run for it.  They hadn't gotten me down with their pipes and fists, but them barrelling into me now sends me to my knees instantly.

Curious myself now, I look up to where the screams had come from.  Ah, Yami.  I didn't quite expect that, but I wouldn't really have put it past him either.  We're of the same nature deep down.  I've killed too and I remembering him doing it in the past with the wave of a hand.  He never got bloodied; that was his executioner's job.  No wonder he looks a tad pale at the state of his hands and clothes now.  There's a crimson streak down his face too and his hair's a mess, a wild and exotic look that I quite like on him.  That blood's coming from his nose though.  That's his own then.  

Ignoring the mess on the floor and walls, I make my way over to him, the back of my hand going to my mouth to check on the bleeding in my lip.  It's starting to swell a bit now and I can still taste fresh blood leaking out from where it's split over my teeth, meaning that I'm going to have a bit of a pout for the next few days.  Marvellous.  

"What's up with you?" I ask after I've felt that I've given him an adequate amount of time to start on his own.  He just went completely psycho and I want to know whether or not he was on the edge with those screams and I gave him a light shove over it with our little chat yesterday.  I want to know if I did this.  Oh, I feel absolutely no remorse over the bodies here.  If I were mortal and Yami hadn't come along and done this, I'd be good as dead right now.  So, no sympathy for them.  I just want to know if I've made Yami into something more, something a bit like me.  A partner in crime would be rather fun to have around.

It takes him a few moments of looking around at what he's done before answering me.  "I hit Yugi."

So this was a guilt-trip.  How tiresome.  And to think that I'd gotten my hopes all up like that.  "And, what?  You decided to finish the job on a bunch of strangers beating the shit out of someone you don't even like?"  I don't particularly like the bitterness in those words, but damnit I wanted this to be something interesting.  I wanted…  I don't know, but I sure as Hell didn't want it to be guilt over slapping his Hikari around.  

"Not, that."  He looks a bit confused now, a little helpless.  I take a few more steps towards him as he turns it over in his head a few more times, his mouth twitching as he rehearses the words.  "I didn't feel anything then, and I don't…  I don't believe that's right."

Now this I'm finding interesting.  The fact that he struck his little lover didn't ruffle him at all, and that's what he feels so confused and guilty over.  Something's changing, a shifting of balance within his soul, and one that I particularly want to witness.

I can see that he doesn't know what direction to even start in.  So I prompt him.  "What happened?"

Yami shakes his head a little, but I don't think it's a sign of him not knowing; merely mild disbelief.  "When I got home Yugi tried to talk to me.  He was, is worried about me, and he wanted to know what he could do to make it right.  He just kept saying that he loved me and he wanted what was best for me and this buzzing started in my mind and it wouldn't shut up.  It all just got louder and louder and the only logical thing that occurred to me to stop it all was to lash out."

I let a grin slip out.  It's not wholly appropriate but damn it I'm happy.  "It worked, didn't it?"

Yami nods at that, crossing his damp and dirty arms across his chest.  "I didn't know what to do so I came looking for you."  A little smile that might be mirroring me own.  "You're hard to find."

"It's a gift."  I was right; something's shifting.  He's confused but I'm glad to see that he's not resisting it.  Actually, given this blood bath slowly soaking into my boots, I'd say he's welcoming it.  Well, goodness and purity does get a little stale after a while.  It's like eating too many pretty little French cakes.   They look nice, they taste nice, but after so much time you just want to stake the guy that invented them and feast on chocolate muffins.  

"What's happening to me?" Yami asks suddenly in a soft voice, breaking me out of my bakery-based thoughts.  He's watching me with confused eyes now but I don't see any real fear in them, just a general disquiet.  I think I'm unsettling him even more by gazing at him like this so I snap my eyes down, taking in the sight of blood and gore to get my thoughts straight.  Only to come up with squat.  I don't know the answer to that question.  Not yet anyway.

****

Be a sweetie and leave a review.  I think I know what's going to happen (I've planned it), but given the nature of this fic it'll probably end up doing a 180º on me.  So yeah, speculation anyone?


	5. Chapter 5

Two chapters in one week.  Don't you all feel special now?  With all these reviews I certainly am! ^^ I'd recommend reading the last paragraph of Chapter 4 first before starting because it just sort of *starts*.  

****

I have an idea though.  "Would you let me do something?" I ask in a low voice, already bollixing up a reason for why he should trust me, why I'm 'really' helping him, what I want out of all this, blah-de-bloody-blah.

"Yes."

Huh.  That, wasn't quite the response I was expecting.  I actually wait a little while for him to expand on that or laugh in my face, but he just jerks his brows at me to remind me that it's my turn to do something.  I think this is some form of trust on display here.  There's hope yet.  Either that or all of this is just him losing his mind and this is another symptom of it.  Either way.

A bit of an admittance is going to be necessary here before I can carry on.  "I put a bit of myself in the Puzzle a while back.  I can get in there, but it'll be easier if you just let me in."  Please don't let him ask me why I did that, or go for me as a matter of fact.  I don't have the energy for another brawl just yet.

"Go ahead."  For a split second I think he's mocking me, but then I actually feel him drop some of his defences.  All ripe for the picking and opened up to me.  What the Hell is going on here?  I think the fact that my eyebrows have disappeared and my eyes are the wrong size gives away my surprise.  Yami shrugs a little.  "You seem to know what you're doing."

I don't understand him.  He insults me, he trusts me.  He's tried to kill me off more than once, and now he's letting me swan around his most private and sensitive place.  That… sounded wrong.  Oh fuck it.  I don't know what I'm actually doing; I'm playing a hunch here but I might as well pretend I've got this all planned out in my little head for his sake.  Tuh.  I care about 'his sake' and it doesn't bother me.  Shows how far I've come in the last… what? Ten hours?  

Giving up on this very ineffectual train of thought, I ditch my linear form and drift into the Puzzle, taking shape again as a corporeal being.  I didn't go straight into his Soul Room; I wouldn't dare right now.  That's too private, too personal.  But standing here I think I've found something that might have a hand in this Great Change that Yami's undergoing.  

The dark, rusted door to Yami's Soul Room is as solid as solid gets in here to my left, and Yugi's is blurry and faded signifying that I couldn't access that if I tried.  It's nothing to do with anything Yami's doing; I'm just not compatible with it so I can't go in there.  What's caught my attention though is the small white door in front of me.  I don't know how Yami hasn't noticed it as it's glowing insanely brightly.  Stepping closer, I get the weirdest sense that it's not actually white in colour; just the light it's giving off is that pristine and clean.  The door itself, about the right size for crawling through, is actually black.  I'm having to get pretty close to it to see that, the beams breaking up around my body in that very cool way that I've seen in films and on a few music videos...  Never-mind. 

I don't really sense anything menacing about it, although there is a tad of dark energy leaking out from it that is remarkably similar to my own.  Even Yami's magic isn't like mine the way this is.  Reaching out a hand, I go to touch it and quirk a brow when it crumbles beneath my fingertips.  I have to cover my ears from the screeching inside that suddenly wallops into me at noise-pollution volume.  Guess this is where it's been coming from the whole time.  Just a guess there.  

Opening my eyes from where I've clenched them shut, I take a look inside the hole in nothingness.  That's actually correct as this 'door' is hovering in the middle of thin-air.  Must be trans-dimensional.  My hands are still over my ears as I lean in, make no mistake.  It's still incredibly noisy.  I'm surprised Yami hasn't come in to see what's going on.

What's inside isn't quite what I expected to see, not that I had any preconceptions about that.  Heck I didn't even know what I was doing two minutes ago.  But still, I've never seen anything like this before.  I take a few minutes of just staring at what's inside the portal that I've opened, trying to figure it out.  I'm glad that Yami hasn't gotten impatient and started prodding me to get a move on.  Actually he's being uncharacteristically patient with me.  When did he get so patient with me?  Trusting?  When I slapped him the other day he went to hit me back instantly.  Why the sudden change?

For now I'll just pin it down from him needing something from me; knowledge, expertise, punching bag, something.  He doesn't give a damn about me other than that.  His saving my life probably wasn't even that; just him working off negative karma or getting influenced by what's happening here.  He doesn't care other than that.

But I can worry about all this feely crap later.  Right now screechy things are demanding my attention.  It's chaotic through this little door, an immeasurable cavern into some other Realm filled with light and something else.  The whiteness that fills just over half of this space is dulling slowly, so slowly that it takes me a few minutes of staring at it to actually notice.  There are smaller patches of absorbing darkness that are zinging around, puncturing the white, and then a huge mass of blackness shoving itself up against the white as well.

It still isn't making much sense, especially in relation to what's going on with Yami.  Is he infected with something that's poisoning his spirit?  Making it darker?  Dredging up his old maliciousness and bringing it to the fore?  I can't puzzle this out in this state.  The two states represented here aren't conscious but they're aware, something that I can use.  I've dabbled in the Shadow Realm often enough to pick up on its quirks, and the creation of images that mirror solid reality is one of them.  A blueprint is needed though.

Bracing myself, I lean myself into the doorway and feel something grab me around about my navel before I'm pulled inside, hoping the whole time that I'm going to be able to get back out again when I'm done here.  I float effortlessly with everything happening all around me, something that's fairly interesting to watch although it's a bit intimidating.  I can feel nudges against every part of me, testing, exploring, and after a few minutes the two masses of colour start to coalesce into two far smaller things, the screaming around me dying down to silence with it.

This is how the monsters of the Shadow Games took their forms here originally.  They were carved first into stone on great tablets, one for every monster, and then someone who had access to the Shadow Realm would bring the memory of the carving inside.  No one really knows what exactly takes on the forms of monsters; it may be that there's an ocean of living magical energy just waiting to be given form and purpose.  

It's not of any real consequence though, what matters is that the monsters took on the attributes shown in the carvings and grew as powerful as could be allowed.  Every now and then though someone slipped up in controlling their growth and the monsters ended up uncontrollable.  Obelisk is one example of that kind of slip-up, one that resulted in drastic measures to make the situation safer.  With tremendously powerful monsters than no one but a select gifted few could control rampaging the planet, times had gotten dark.  But that's all and past now.  It could happen again but that isn't an immediate concern of mine.

It takes only seconds for the representations of the light and the dark to complete themselves, not that they're paying attention to me.  The two humanoids instantly start going for each other.  It isn't a question of hurting each other here; this is all about dominance.  Anyone with eyes can see that just from the way they're fighting, working to overpower each other without really exchanging blows.  

The two figures in question both resemble Yami I might add.  The one who seems to have pulled the short straw in the strength department look more like the Yami who's head I'm currently floating around in, dressed in his usual leather attire.  This one has worked from either my memories or Yami's to create this image.  This is what Yami is and has been for some time.  The other, well, the other is something that I'd personally avoid pissing off.

He's in leather as well but I haven't seen this style in a few thousand years.  It's pharaoh garb but it's made out of black cowhide rather than woven cloth and silk, clinging to his legs as he shoves the familiar Yami further down.  This one's face is slightly rounder but it certainly does not make him look any more innocent like Yugi.  It looks Imp-like and demonic.  His irises are closer to the colour of blood too and his hair has a tad more flair to it.  Another scream echoes around me, and my eyes widen when I see that it's this 'darker' Yami making the noise.  It's not a scream of anguish and despair anymore despite sounding like it.  It's a battle cry.

It all clicks in my head and I could laugh at the realisation.  This was something I would never have expected, and it could be either very problematic or very fun.  It makes sense though; the screaming; the Pharaoh's past; everything.  Yami, the whole one, needs to know about this immediately.  

Willpower and a bit of Shadow Magic lifts me out of this duelling arena, leaving me standing back in the corridor I had started in.  Slipping back out of the Puzzle, I glance around myself when I don't immediately see Yami.  He's behind me, removing the evidence of his little tantrum with the Eye of Horus glowing brilliantly on his forehead.  He's exploiting the fact that the Shadow Realm is a handy place for dumping bodies and their subsequent messes.

Looking up to me when the last of the organic waste is gone, he tips his head to the side and lets his arms fall slack at his side, the sign of his power fading from his face.  "Well?  What did you find?"

I'm just going to say this rather than spend wasted minutes figuring out how exactly to word it, what I'll say first to break the ice, etcetera.  It's happening too quickly to spend the time.  I'll also admit to being a little excited as well; it's not everyday that something like this happens.  

"When you were sealed away your spirit was shattered, hence you losing your memories and the fact that it's taking so long to regain even the smallest morsels of them."  He knows that much and nods for me to continue, not moving as I step towards him to continue my explanation of my discovery.

"I thought that what was screaming was just a part of you, a darker aspect of your personality – your soul, that wanted recognition.  It looks more like that it's something more than that.  I think we're made up of light and dark, just like our Hikaris are, thought with us we're more of the dark than of the light.  That is that I am and Malik is, but you're something of a contradiction.  Yugi's had a lot of influence over you, making you more good and all that bollocks.  Now your dark nature is fighting back.  When you realised its existence, acknowledged it, you opened a door to warfare."

"No," Yami states, not looking angry but speaking in a firm tone all the same.  "You were the one that made me see it.  You started this," he corrects me, pointing a finger at me.  He doesn't look as angry with me as he should which is slightly unsettling.  This transition of quality is happening rapidly, but then it's probably been brewing for years and this is just the final turning point.  His brow furrows as he turns over the information now, his eyes dropping whilst he thinks.  "So I'm becoming more… evil?"

I have to smile now. "Yes, I'd say so.  You'll still be you when this has finished happening, although it didn't look like your light side was winning in there.  You'll just be more true to your nature like when your were Pharaoh."  You'll be more like me.  "What do you think of that?"

Yami doesn't have a chance to answer before the screaming starts up again, louder and more intense than ever before.  There's not a rift anywhere so it's safe to say that it's only us that can hear it, although Yugi and Ryou may be picking up on it.  I think the dark just won.  

The noise continues as I see Yami's form warble, a few flickers funning through him like ripples through water.  His head bowed when the screaming started, his hands tensed having been ready to jerk to his head but not having the chance to.  His form solidifies again a few moments after the sounds die back down whilst my ears are still ringing, his head lifting to give him a prouder stance, flamboyant hair forming a dark halo.  Crimson eyes swimming with malevolence gaze at me as a smirk forms across a slightly more rounded face.  There are choice changes through his body too, his lean frame enhanced in musculature but still left graceful.

Striding towards me with more of a predatory gait than before, Yami stands so that we're toe-to-toe, something that would have been menacing if he were a bit taller and I a bit less like I am.  "I think it'll be fun," he murmurs in answer to my question, his voice pretty much the same despite practically dripping with sex appeal.

I actually swallow heavily from nerves –something I've never done before- when he brings up a hand, brushing it against my hip, the length of my arm and up my neck into my hair.  His fingers moving idly against my scalp as he leans in impossibly closer to me, I feel his breath on my mouth as he speaks.  "Thanks."

The word is breathed out and he snaps back and away from me before we come close enough to kiss, not that we were off that by much.  Grinning at me and cocking a brow in a challenging manner, he suddenly takes off, sprinting past me without a backwards glance.  I stare dumbfounded, feeling the tingling across my lips and through my skin where he'd touched me before grinning myself, spinning on my heel and tearing after him.

It holds true to that saying though; good boys may go to heaven, but the bad boys go everywhere.

****

It's night again now, two days after Yami's darkness won out over the light, and I've only just come home.  Yugi's doubtlessly been worried sick and the gang was probably out looking for us after the first 10 hours.  Not that either of us had or do care.  We were both having far too much fun.  I'm taking everything that's happened over the last 48 hours with a pinch of salt though; Yami's behaviour is apparently going to be erratic at best until he gets used to all these 'new' feelings and calms down.  That could take a while.  I'm not complaining though; I can handle him and he's taken a new interest in me, which I am more than happy about.  I had no idea he could be so carnal though.

I wanted some time to myself though despite the pleasures of his company.  I wanted to figure something out that's been nagging at my curiosity for a little while now.  

Moving into my own Soul Room first, I instantly step out into the corridor between Ryou's and mine.  The door's stiff from under-use as I never come here.  Why would I?  I've never had the desire to go into Ryou's Soul Room and I don't think I'll ever want to.  There's just no point.  Once I've learnt what I want to know now I'll likely never step into this dividing space again.

Walking the distance down the mental path between our Rooms, further than I thought was possible, I stop when I find my own small door hovering in nothing.  This one isn't glowing and isn't a solid black in colour.  Instead, it's more like a barred window into a large dark area.  Peering inside, I take in what I see before smiling and walking away, going back into my Soul Room to think the events of the last few days over.

Through the bars I could see myself, huddled on what's obviously been established as the floor, worn white robes cascading down around a delicate frame.  Large, youthful eyes watch the bars miserably, ignoring the flickering laughter radiating from the darkness surrounding it.  It's been this way for a while and it's never going to change.  The light's braver now, but it'll never dominate like the dark.

****End****

Anyone guess the song-line and the song of the line I paraphrased from one of MeatLoaf's albums back there?  Cookies ands hugs to whoever gets it as well as proof that you have some damn good taste in music.

This is pretty much finished for now so don't checking back for another instalment any time soon.  I'm quite happy with how this one's turned out even if it's practically the opposite to what I'd originally expected.  Like Blue September pointed out, this has all been a bit of a twist on 'Experiment'.  

Everything included about the Shadow Realm and all things of that nature are just speculation on my part, something that I do in just about all my fics, so don't go all fact-ho on me.  It's a fanfiction.  I'm allowed some creative liberties.  

Anyway.  Reviews got these two chapters up and are always good for a bit of inspiration, so leave your thoughts, best bits, whatever, in a review and I hope you'll check out my other stuff.  Thanks again for reading.

Borath ;p


	6. Missing Lemon

This is the missing lemon/lime (I don't know the difference ^^;;) that goes in near the end of Chapter 4.  It's my first by the way, so be kind, but I think I can safely say that I've written it in a truly original way.  It should all be fairly consistent as I wrote it all in one go (in two and a bit hours after seeing an evening showing of 'The Matrix: Reloaded, which totally rocks if you're willing to suspend your disbelief enough), so I hope it reads smoothly and not too strangely, as all my night-fics tend to. Speculations on murder, pain, lust and power here.  Surely this is one of my most demented chapters in any fic to date, certainly the quickest written.  Some of this is a tad hard to follow (as if the rest of this fic hasn't been), but don't worry about it too much.  Thought processes are rambling things anyway, and when you put Bakura's spin on it, well, things do get a little strange.   Read on and try to keep an open mind though.  Hope you like it. ***** 

I chased Yami for about half an hour before I finally caught up with him, although I suspect that he simply grew bored and *allowed* me to catch him.  Seeing him ducking inside an old warehouse a few yards ahead of me, I slowed until I was walking the final few steps towards the door, my boots making as little noise as possible on the crisp grime covering the ground.  The large steel door was partway open, an impenetrable blackness the only thing I could see through the gap.  I noted idly that the lock had been shattered to open the doorway.

Despite having an inkling combined with lustful hope of what was going to happen now, I still entered cautiously.  Yami's unpredictable right now, his powers on a rampage through his body barely within his control as the transition from a spirit of good to a spirit of the downright demonic completes itself.  He isn't thinking straight, and I'm not one hundred percent sure what I helped to unleash, if it even is still Yami.  I presumed –and I'll continue to do so- that Yami's character, his essence had simply altered but he is still essentially the same creature as before.  His mind will work in the same way and he'll undoubtedly continue his obsession with games and settling all disputes through them, only now he'll have fewer moral limitations, littler guilt and less compassion.  He'll be bloody unstoppable.  But that's what I believe, and not what is necessarily true.  Only time will tell if I'm right.

But for now, I'm happy to have the duty of keeping an eye on this new potential-bomb, indulging some of the new feelings and desires that he's undoubtedly feeling more than a little confused about.  I was left in wonder after my first blood-filled rage.  The first time I killed, I was left with a kind of euphoria that left me dazed for days as well as returning to the place where it happened to go over it, to try and recapture that feeling.  I understand why beings such as myself must always 'return to the scene of the crime', and I also understand why the most memorable and grotesque murders are those of desire rather than necessity.  

It was only a phase for me though and now I toy with my prey rather than just off and killing it.  I don't kill for pleasure anymore.  There are far better things to do, like tormenting life without actually ending it.  Yes, it's cruel, but I find myself justified in that at the time I'm pushed to that level of cruelty by outside sources, and that it's in my nature.  A bear mauling a camper is, in some respects, an act of cruelty, but it's in the beast's nature to protect its territory, hunt for food, guard it's mate and so on.  I have no mate to protect, no need to hunt and no territory aside from my own personal space, but I do have my nature and desires.

And that's what's driving Yami now, and it's going to drain him spectacularly after a while.  He's going to sleep for a long time after this initial rush is over.  It's harder to wield Shadow Magic in this realm, and the amounts that have already been expended for his physical changes and the damage he's done whilst running here are substantial.  It's not unusual for this sort of emotional and magical high though.  I'll just have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't wreck his body by pushing it past its limits.  See my *immense* displeasure at the attention I'm going to have to give him.

Finally stepping into the inky blackness, I pause for a moment in consideration before shutting the door behind me.  If Yami had wanted light he would have arranged some.  The beam that had formerly been leaking into here was just an invitation to me, one that I've now RSPVed and taken up.  It was there long enough to see that this warehouse isn't empty; there are huge crates that could house cars scattered about with narrow walkways between.  I didn't catch a glimpse of Yami in the light though.

My breathing is deafening to me as I slowly start to walk, my hands outstretched and probing for obstacles.  I keep looking around all the time for a flicker of something as I move between the wooden boxes, a disorientating feeling as it all appears the same as having my eyes shut.  It's like being dumped into deep, dark water and losing track of which way is up.  At least you can follow the bubbles in that scenario.  I'm running on instinct here.

I wander blindly for several minutes, surprising myself by not losing my patience during that time.  Intrigue and a sense of anticipation alleviate all boredom and I don't feel intimidated by the dark so I could stay in here for hours without a problem.  My patience is rewarded though before it comes to that, hands skimming my sides as the owner's arms loop around my waist, tightening before pulling me back down a side-passageway that I hadn't realized was there.

I let myself be pulled until we reach an area encased by crates, the Puzzle hanging from its chain from a nail on one of them and giving off a soft glow.  Sensing the Item, the Ring brightens with it, pointers directing me towards something that is already within my vision.   At least Yami and I can see it each other now, although with his temporarily heightened senses he could probably see me easily in the pitch dark.

I've had my back to him the entire time so far, and it's not until I am turned and pressed against the crate opposite to the one that the Puzzle hangs from do I lay eyes on Yami.  By Ra in this light he's mesmerising; dark, buzzing with energy and lust and completely fixated with me.  I give no sign of surprise when he crushes his mouth against mine without warning, expressing something that I doubt he's never felt to this extent before; never this powerfully.

Yugi's small in stature which makes him delicate, breakable and of little real pleasure to someone who wants it rough.  I on the other hand…  Pain is just another sensation.  It is only because of conditioning that we have come to register it as a negative one.  Not *all* pain is a warning of damage to the body, and once that has been fully and truthfully realised, pain becomes a form of pleasure.  I enjoy inflicting it and I sure as hell enjoy receiving it to a certain extent.  I wouldn't hack off one of my own limbs for a giggle though; that's real damage and that's the kind of pain that is bad.  Little nips and hard scratches are something entirely different.  They're worth relishing.

I decide to make this point to Yami.  Working my hands up beneath his top whilst he continues his exploration of my mouth, I turn my fingers rigid and drag my nails quickly and firmly down his ribs, sweeping my hands behind his back and doing it again across his shoulder blades immediately afterwards.  He pulls his mouth from mine with a gasp, eyes going wide before closing as he just enjoys it, a breathless grin spreading his lips.  I love seeing him like this and so repeat the action, first down his sides and then up across his back.  He groans at that, a deep stuttering sound that makes me shiver, more so when the need to respond sends his mouth to my throat, snapping at my flesh.

I'm finding this incredibly satisfying.  I don't think I love him, I'm not even sure there's the potential for that profound a feeling.  Heck, I don't know if love *exists*.  I chased him here out of lust for the most part as well as general obsession.  Right now I'm enjoying the doing as well as the being done-to.  I want him to enjoy this too.  What does that mean?  From the state we're both in I don't think either of us are in any condition to contemplate that.  Perhaps in the afterglow when my mind is languid and oddly clear.  Think then, act now.

I'm not happy with the insignificant amount of flesh I can rake so I grab the top of the material I'm working against and pull it hard from behind.  It tears easily and Yami's back is entirely exposed, the wrecked clothing hanging off over his arms that are still tight against my own body.  I thought for a second that I'd overwhelmed him when he broke free of me and took several steps back, not breaking eye contact the entire time.  I realised what was going on when he picked up the staple-gun from the floor, striding back towards me with intent. 

I let him lift my arms up and staple the sleeves of my jacket to the crate so that I'm spread-eagle and practically at his mercy.  Throwing the gun aside and sending it skittering into the deep shadows the line the soft light the Puzzle gives out, Yami grabs the collar of both my jacket and under-shirt and in one violent movement tears them open.  I half expected cold-air to rush me but it's obviously too hot around us for that.  

Lifting the Ring up from about my neck, he stretches up to put it on top of the crate above my head.  Then, smiling and bringing his chin closer to his throat as he watches me with wide, dark eyes, Yami arranges his hands so that they mimic how mine were a minute ago, dragging them down my chest, up again and back around my sides in smooth, rapid motions.  I shudder and buck against my holdings at the action, the sensations almost overwhelming.  I've never been the submissive one in anything so this is new to me, but being restrained this way is… exciting.  I'm loving this.  I'm at Yami's mercy and it's a wickedly wonderful feeling.

Yami certainly wants me to suffer, dropping his left arm whilst his other hand reaches up to touch my face.  Chest-to-chest, I feel us breathing heavily against each other through that contact as well as from lips that hover over my own, just out of my reach.  And then the dropped hand makes its presence known, claw-like fingers dragging excruciatingly hard up the inside of my inner right leg.  I've never felt anything like this before and it's making my vision fall out of focus.  The flesh in my hands and face has started to tingle from the feel of it, repeated torturously on my other leg before returning to the first.  I'm glad I'm being held up because my knees are too uncooperative right now to hold my own weight.  The fact that Yami is a millimetre from kissing me again -and is not- isn't helping.

Finally he follows through though and I almost sigh at it, *almost* as I'm putting all my strength and willpower into freeing my arms.  I don't want them to be pinned down anymore.  I want to grab, to claw and dominate.  Sex is often a form of power-struggle, at least in my experience, and I want to struggle with Yami.  I want to push my power and aggression against his, relish the battle and see who wins.  I don't give a damn about the outcome; it's the battle that's the fun part.

Yami picks up on my struggles and seems to deem it time to really get this show on the road, reaching out his own arms so that we mirror each other and closing each of his hands about my wrists.  I can't see how he's strong enough to free me like this; I'm in a better position for it and I haven't been successful.  I'm proven wrong when he pulls at me hard, the deceptively strong material of my clothing tearing away and freeing me.  His face didn't even change when he displayed that strength, still on his little power trip.  This is going to be fun.

Snapping my wrists out of his grasp, I bring my hands up and clamp them on his shoulders, sweeping a shaky leg behind and against his and down both of us.  It dissolves into something of a wrestling match then, writhing and squirming against each other to gain the upper hand.  Manipulating his body by hooking my leg through his, I manage to get Yami onto his back and me straddling his waist, shifting when I see a flicker of 'bad' pain on his face meaning that I was a bit too far down his body for comfort.  

Taking the time to divest us both of footwear and the wrecked clothes covering my back, I find myself staring at Yami intently, seeing the reflection of myself flushed in his eyes.  We both know what's going to happen now.  Should I say something?  We haven't spoken to each other since he ran off and left me to chase him down; made plenty of noise but no actual words.  I'm not feeling uncomfortable about it; it just seems that one of us should say something.

Suddenly the borderline frenzied look in Yami's eyes ebbs a little and a warm smile graces him.  He's not going to say anything either, the mutuality in that making it easy for both on us.  I've fallen still for too long apparently as he jerks his entire body to the side, managing to get me off balance long enough to switch out positions.  Now I'm beneath him.  

This is the most we've slowed down, but care is needed now and something fairly important in happening so we should have some awareness and consideration.  That doesn't mean that we're not both completely divested of clothing within a remarkably short space of time though.  Now we're at the breaking point, the part of this practice that decides the experience as a whole.  Too rough and it's practically rape, too gentle and it might mean too much for something this fresh, this young.  Yami's in charge though so I can only hope that his turbulent mind allows him at least enough clarity to make the right move.

I'll admit to feeling nervous when he makes absolutely no move to even try and prepare me, simply nudging my thighs apart with his knee before kneeling between them.  One hand cups the back of my head, his fingers tight in my hair as his forehead rests against my chest.  Even in the weak light I can see that every muscle in his back is tensed, and as I close my eyes to prepare myself for the inevitable pain of entry I can feel his forehead warming against my skin.  Magic crackles around us briefly before focusing between us, and within me.  It's impossible to describe that feeling or strange, unnatural and yet incredible openness.  I'd never even considered using Shadow Magic in this way, but it lets Yami move in one swift stroke.  

I jerk at the suddenness of it, my back arching as my new lover pulls me almost desperately to him.  Neither of us have ever felt anything like this before; this sense of ease and rightness.  There's not any pain when Yami relinquishes the power he's used, just a general feeling of connection.  I'm loath to use the ever clichéd word 'fullness', but it applies too.

All sense of warmth and tenderness evaporates now that the barrier has been broken, hard thrusts driving away all thought and reason leaving pure feeling in its wake.  Emptied of the irritancies of logic and speculation, sensation is truly overwhelming, especially when Yami spares me a thought that wasn't needed and reaches between us to drive me even harder, something that threatens to destroy me.

My release comes moments before Yami's, both of us fairly silent as we can only grasp onto each other fiercely.  It seems an eternity before we have both stopped shuddering, chests heaving and every nerve tingling in the aftermath.  Because of our difference in height and our current positions, I have to lean up and forward to kiss him again after a few minutes when I have the strength for the action.  I'm not too sure why I wanted to.  It was a 'thank you' in some respects I believe, an expression of mutual desire or some bollocks like that in another.  I don't know.  I'm not in any shape to think at the moment.

Pulling out of me with a generous amount of care, Yami all but collapses against my side showing all the signs of contentment.  This period of exhaustion will likely be brief for him; he'll be up and buzzing around in no time.  But I'm happy with us just like this for the moment.  Shifting a little so that I'm on my side facing him, I drape one arm over his side and let him pillow his head on my free arm.  Yami holds me as well, fingers resting on the angry welts his nails have left that still burn deliciously.  

His breathing pauses as if he's going to speak, and although I can't see his face, I'll bet that his mouth's opened as well.  He seems to change his mind though, exhaling smoothly as he nuzzles his face into my chest and falls still again.  I wait until I hear his breathing even out before closing my own eyes against the dim light.  I'll be chasing him again soon and this moment will be over and gone.  I don't know what this'll mean to him in a few days and I'll need a few hours of pondering before I can figure that out for myself.  But now's not the time.  For now I'll just enjoy the moment, and we'll see where we go from there.

****End****

So, any good for a first crack at it?  Original?  Clichéd?  Interesting?  Utterly beyond all comprehension?  Be a dear and let me know what you think.


End file.
